The city of Trondheim was decorated with flags and banners when Princess Märtha Louise married writer Ari Behn in the Nidaros Cathedral at 3 p.m. on May 24, 2002. On December 13 of last year, His Majesty King Harald V formally announced the engagement.
News of Norway, issue 2, 2001
The Nidaros Cathedral dates back to medieval times, when the Norwegian church was organized under the Catholic Pope. It was also the site where Princess Martha Louise's own father, grandfather and great-grandfather were sworn in as the nation's monarch.
The wedding celebrations combined tradition with the wishes of the bridal couple. His Majesty the King escorted the bride up the aisle and the journey to the cathedral was made by horse-drawn carriage. The guest list included representatives of several foreign royal families and the Norwegian Government, as well as public officials, family and friends.
The royal couple requested that donations be made to HRH Princess Märtha Louise's Fund, instead of wedding gifts. The fund founded on August 15, 1972, and it provides aid to handicapped children in Norway.
After the ceremony, the newlyweds walked trough the streets of Trondheim to the wedding dinner and reception at the royal property called Stiftsgaarden, a wooden mansion originally built in 1778. Stiftsgaarden is one of Norway’s largest wooden structures and also served as the site for Their Majesties King Harald and Queen Sonja's 60th birthday celebrations in 1997. The wedding dinner was served in a large tent in the garden.
More freedom for Princess Märtha Louise
Born in 1971 in Oslo, Princess Märtha Louise is the daughter of HM King Harald and HM Queen Sonja. The princess was named Märtha after her father’s mother, Crown Princess Märtha of Norway, and Louise after her great-great-grandmother, Queen Louise of Denmark, daughter of Carl XV of Sweden and mother of Haakon VII of Norway.
Before the constitution was amended, succession proceeded only through males, so Princess Märtha Louise's brother, HRH Prince Haakon Magnus (afterwards HRH Crown Prince Haakon), though two years her junior, was born heir to the throne. HM King Harald, in consultation with the Princess, decided that beginning February 1, 2002, she will no longer bear the title Her Royal Highness, but instead be known as Princess Märtha Louise. The Princess's decision to work in this new capacity makes her more independent of the Royal Family's constitutional role.
Ari Behn born on September 30, 1972, in Århus, Denmark, works as an author, and has lived in Denmark, England, Ghana and various parts of Norway. Twenty-nine-year-old Behn received favorable reviews for his 1999 book debut, which was a collection of short stories.